Malawi

The number of people who have fled to Malawi has risen from almost 17,000 in 2013 to more than 37,000 in March 2018 and new asylum-seekers, particularly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are arriving each month.

Most of those of concern to UNHCR live in Dzaleka refugee camp, which has a population of nearly 34,000, near the capital Lilongwe. More than 3,000 Mozambican asylum-seekers are in Luwani refugee camp, in the south.

In 2018, our work will include ensuring refugees and asylum-seekers receive international protection and have access to education and health care, as well as food, shelter, water and sanitation, and have the opportunity to earn a living.

We are working with the government to explore such avenues as local integration, voluntary repatriation or return, and resettlement. The emphasis will be on gaining support for the integration of refugees into national systems and the decongestion of Dzaleka camp. The government has indicated its intention to roll out Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework in Malawi.

The approach from now on will be on settlement and self-reliance. This means UNHCR will press for reform of the legal framework, as well as an improvement in the process for determining refugee status. This will require wider partnerships and greater sharing of the burden.

The voluntary repatriation of 2,852 Mozambicans from Luwani refugee camp, who expressed the desire to return home in March 2017, is still awaiting agreement between the Malawian and Mozambican governments and UNHCR.